New America Media - Ethnic Media Networktag:newamericamedia.org,2009-04-06://192017-09-22T20:16:05ZNew America Media is a nationwide association of over 3000 ethnic media organizations representing the development of a more inclusive journalism. Founded in 1996 by Pacific News Service, New America Media promotes ethnic media by strengthening the editorial and economic viability of this increasingly influential segment of America's communications industry.DACAmented and Still Fighting in the Trenchestag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.165382017-09-22T20:00:00Z2017-09-22T20:16:05Z
Daniel Casarez and Maria G. Ortiz-Briones
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FRESNO, Calif. -- There are about 800,000 Dreamers in the United States, and about 61,000 are in the region between San Joaquín County and Tulare County.

Some were brought into the country as infants, others as teenagers. Their country is the United States, even though they don’t have the documentation to prove it.

This is a look at Pedro Ramírez and Xavier Vázquez Báez.

Ramírez, 28, graduated from Tulare High School and works in Fresno.

Vázquez Báez, 27, graduated from Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Stockton and works in Fresno.

Both are Fresno State graduates.

Both have benefitted from President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program introduced in 2012.

Trump’s action re-ignites his passion

Pedro Ramírez was a poster boy for the Dreamer movement pre-DACA.

In 2011 when he was student body president at Fresno State, Ramírez was outed as undocumented but retained strong support from the university, fellow students and the community. He never accepted a penny from a stipend worth at least $9,000 for serving as president.

Ramírez refused to step down from the office. His undocumented status, he said, helped advance state policy, educated the public about undocumented children brought into the only country they know by their parents, and motivated him.

That activism was born from the 2006-07 student-led walkouts against anti-immigrant proposals in Congress.

“I don’t regret any of what I’ve done because a lot of good has come from it, but I am tired,” he posted on his Facebook page last week. “I am tired of politics, tired of being used as a political football, tired of all the BS. I’ve lost friends, relationships, and put my family at risk.”

Ramírez – who graduated from Fresno State with a degree in political science, and later earned a master’s in public policy at Long Beach State – worked for Los Ángeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo for four years before returning to the San Joaquín Valley.

“It’s one thing to lose your work permit, it’s another thing knowing that the government knows where you are, and they can use that information to go after you,” said Ramírez. “And they might actually plan to do just that.”

Ramírez says the political landscape has changed with Trump in office.

“The situation is different from when George W. Bush was president, when Ronald Reagan was president; they had compassion for immigrants. This president does not, and he’s not afraid to make threats to get what he wants,” said Ramírez.

Ramírez fears for family and other DACA immigrants.

“People who are citizens here, people who are residents, they’re fine. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Us, yeah. For all we know, they may deport us; they can put us in concentration camps, detention centers like they do in Texas and Arizona,” said Ramírez, whose father worked in construction, dairies and restaurants. His mother worked as a hotel maid.

Ramírez bristles that Trump would use DACA recipients (polls show major support for the program) to leverage Congress for money for a border wall.

Not even Trump’s twitter message is comfort for Ramírez.

The president wrote: “For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about — No action!”

Ramírez works as a Central Valley campaign coordinator for the California Labor Federation in Fresno, a position he said he felt needed his attention because of the current administration.

“When Trump got elected I felt that I needed to return back to electoral politics; fight and hold him and those that support him accountable,” he said.

“I came (to the U.S.) when I was 3 years old. We lived in L.A. for several years before we came to the Central Valley, Tulare, where I lived the majority of my life until I graduated from high school,” said Ramírez.

His parents barely made it to middle school, he said.

“My parents definitely instilled education in me. The reason why they came to the country was for me to get a good education and to get a good job and get a good life.”

His work has involed the immigrant community

Xavier Vázquez Báez has made no secret about how DACA has helped him since 2013 when he applied and was accepted.

The 2013 Fresno State graduate (bachelor’s in political science) has taken an active role.

He wasn’t intimidated last week to share his story as he stood in front of the Robert E. Coyle Federal Building in downtown Fresno with many community members and organizations to lobby for DACA.

We sported a black T-shirt emblazoned with “I AM AN IMMIGRANT” in red-and-white letters.

Vázquez Báez came to the U.S. from the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala when he was 13. His family is a mixed status family – one of his siblings is also a DACA recipient while his younger sibling is a U.S. citizen. Both of his parents lack legal status.

He attended San Joaquín Delta College before he transferred to Fresno State.

Right after he obtained his work permit thanks to DACA, Vázquez Báez worked for the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno.

“That allowed me to work for the consulate for three years,” he said.

He worked on many immigration-related issues there.

“We worked with community organizations helping undocumented folks with their DACA applications.”

Vázquez Báez works as director of immigration services for the non-profit Education and Leadership Foundation in Fresno. The foundation was launched in 2012 and has served approximately 12,000 young adults – documented and undocumented – with DACA applications, scholarships, citizenship applications or petitioning family members for visas.

Vázquez Báez had the opportunity to travel to México through the foundation a couple of months ago under DACA’s advance parole.

Because the trip took place right after Trump was inaugurated as president, Vázquez Báez said it was a little scary for him since he was afraid of what could happen now that Trump was president.

“I went for a week because I knew the risk coming back,” Vázquez Báez said.

He was worried that he wouldn’t be admitted back at the border.

Trump’s campaign promise to rescind DACA, opened his eyes to the possibility that deportation could happen if DACA was taken away and that he would end up going back to a country he doesn’t know.

“My adult life has been here. This is where I’ve been working. This is where I studied. This is where my life is,” he said.

Vázquez Báez renewed his DACA status about a month ago and now he is waiting for the administration approval.

He has renewed his DACA application twice, once in 2015 and now in 2017. His current DACA card would have expired in January 2018.

“Let’s see what happens,” he said, adding that he is asking Congress to fight for all DACA recipients and be their voice in Washington, D.C.

If his application gets approved, Vázquez Báez would have another two years protection from deportation under DACA.

Vázquez Báez didn’t know who the Dreamers back in 2012. Now, he said, they are lawyers, doctors, and professionals who had proved themselves to contributed to the community in many ways from buying houses to paying taxes.

“We are not criminals,” he said.

Vázquez Báez said the weekend before the announcement by the White House to rescind the DACA program, the foundation helped DACA recipients to file their applications.

“We opened our office at 7 and we finished at 4,” he said, adding that they wanted to have all the cases they could ready to go and filed before the announcement was made on Sept. 5. “I feel accomplished because we were able to send those (new) cases so those individuals would be able to benefit from DACA.”

Source: www.migrationpolicy.org]]>
Despite Parents' Fears, Young Immigrants Embrace Public Rolestag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.164262017-08-07T19:53:16Z2017-08-07T23:42:59Z
Alexis Terrazas and Destiny Arroyo
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This story was originally published in Feet in 2 Worlds.

As the crowd swelled in front of the glass doors at the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) building in San Francisco’s Financial District, Sandy stood with her megaphone in defiance. As the statewide coordinator for the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance (CIYJA) she helped organize the rally.

“The new administration’s deportation system is out to get all of us,” yelled Sandy. “So we need to stand in solidarity just like we are here today.”

Roughly 100 people gathered at the USCIS building on June 5, many holding signs that read, “No human being is illegal” and “Free Hugo and Rodrigo.” The protesters were demanding an end to the targeted attacks on immigrant communities, and calling for the release of Hugo Mejia and Rodrigo Nuñez, two Bay Area men who were recently detained by immigration agents while at work.

“We all know there is no just immigration system, that the system is made not to benefit us,” Sandy said. “Hugo and Rodrigo unfortunately are victims of this system.”

Sandy is undocumented, but her immigration status hasn’t deterred her from fighting on the frontlines for immigrant rights — and she is aware of the risks. In 2015, she was arrested by San Francisco police for occupying Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s San Francisco office in protest of a bill that would violate the city’s sanctuary city ordinance.

Sandy and other young activists say they are fighting, not just for themselves but also for their parents and older generations who have not been as willing or able to be so public with their activism. Putting themselves in situations that could lead to their arrest and deportation has won them many admirers, but also concern.

“Of course it scares me that something may happen to my daughter,” said Sandy’s father, who declined to state his name.

“My parents don’t want to be in front of the cameras,” Sandy said. “We know that we are carrying our families on our backs when we do this work. We’re doing something that they didn’t have the opportunity to do. Maybe it’s not that they didn’t want to, but they didn’t have the opportunity. Especially, because now we’re more united, we’re more organized to respond.”

At the rally Sandy is interpreting for Yadira Munguia, whose husband of 18 years, Hugo Mejia, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 3 at his job, around 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Mejia and his friend Rodrigo Nuñez were employees of S&R Drywall construction company, working at a hospital located at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., which is not a sanctuary city. When military officials asked them for I.D. and Social Security numbers, the men handed over their Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN), something many undocumented immigrants use as their Social Security number. When officials learned the men were undocumented, they were arrested and detained by ICE agents.

This kind of public activism is something Munguia had never considered before her husband was detained. Although she’s been in the United States for 16 years, the married mother of three kept a low profile, a lifestyle that many undocumented parents — even those who are residents of sanctuary cities like San Francisco — feel compelled to live.

“We always tried to do things right; not getting into trouble, paying our taxes, not asking anything from the government, always just trying to do things ourselves. Not trying to make ourselves visible,” Munguia told Feet in 2 Worlds in Spanish. “My fear is gone, because if I want Hugo and Rodrigo to be released, then I have to fight alongside those who are helping me.”

Young, undocumented and unafraid

It was through meeting youth activists like Sandy that Munguia first saw the stark contrast between her generation and today’s undocumented youth. Unlike their parents who brought them here as children, many of these young people are opting for a life of activism and public advocacy.

“[Undocumented parents] have a lot to lose,” Sandy said, whose father is also undocumented. Even at school, a parent worries about letting their kid’s teacher know about their immigration status, Sandy added. “You never know who you’re sharing that information with. You never know what’s going to happen, if they’re going to call ICE. And especially now, people are very fearful.”

Munguia admires the work that these young activists are doing, not only for her husband, but for immigrants in general.

“I began to speak … [with a CIYJA organizer] and she told me she didn’t have papers, just like me, and I told her, ‘I admire you even more,’” Munguia said in Spanish. “I asked her, ‘Are you scared?’ And she said ‘No.’ I told my friends, ‘I can’t believe these young people, who are undocumented like us, are speaking up and helping numerous people.’ For me, it’s admirable what they’re doing.”

Sandy began organizing in 2011 as part of the DREAM Alliance of Sonoma County, fighting the record number of deportations being carried out during Obama’s presidency. Now, under the Trump administration, she is not only fighting against deportations and for immigrant rights, but for the preservation of sanctuary city policies.

But the boldness of these young people who are undocumented has many parents worried.

In 1997 Sandy’s father immigrated to Vallejo, a Bay Area city roughly 30 miles north of San Francisco. After his first year living in the United States, he recognized the opportunity for a better life and moved his family, including Sandy, with him.

“My daughter has always been brave and determined. And from the first moment she became involved [in activism], I saw that … she cared about the problems that all of us immigrants face. For young people, like my daughter, to care and to fight for our rights, it fills me with pride.”

But this sort of activism comes at a cost.

In May, Claudia Rueda, a 22-year-old immigrant rights activist from Los Angeles, was detained by border patrol as she was moving her family’s car outside their Boyle Heights home. Sandy believes Rueda was detained in retaliation for fighting her mother’s deportation case.

“Her detention has definitely shaken me a little, in terms of how unashamed this new administration is,” Sandy said. “That scared me. … because we’re constantly putting our faces in front of the line. It’s very easy to be singled out and attacked… But we know that if it’s not us, then it’s going to be somebody else who is going to be attacked.”

A history of sanctuary

San Francisco can trace its history as a sanctuary city to 1985, when the Board of Supervisors passed the “City of Refuge” Resolution, which declared the city a sanctuary for the estimated 60,000 to 100,000 Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees in the Bay Area fleeing political violence and persecution. That resolution was expanded to a Sanctuary Ordinance in 1989 and reaffirmed in 2007 by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, which prohibits city employees from aiding ICE agents in arresting or investigating undocumented immigrants.

Though Sandy’s father doesn’t live in San Francisco, he, like Hugo Mejia and Rodrigo Nuñez, works in construction, and being in a sanctuary city makes him feel safer.

“At any given moment, we can go there without fear,” Sandy’s father said. “There should be more [sanctuary cities].”

One of the Trump administration’s first actions was to threaten sanctuary cities like San Francisco with cuts to federal funding, alleging that these cities are harbors for criminals. This threat is part of a broader agenda by President Trump to restrict immigration and deport 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants in the immediate future.

The anxiety being felt by immigrants in the current political climate is taking its toll, even on those who were inspired by the DREAMer movement during the Obama administration to be more outspoken about immigrant rights and being undocumented.

Augustine, a 24-year-old man originally from Mexico who requested that his real name not be used, is one such immigrant. Augustine’s family immigrated to San Francisco when he was three in search of a better living opportunity, but they soon discovered new hardships and fears awaited them in the United States.

“People in Latin America flee to escape dictatorships in their own countries,” he said. “But then they arrive, they get scared when they come here and see that things are not as expected.”

At one point Augustine felt emboldened enough to serve on the City’s Youth Commission and tell his story to large crowds at public events.

Since Mr. Trump took office, Augustine has become more guarded because he feels that speaking out could be dangerous. He relies on the Obama-initiated program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and with the recent push by Republican officials for Trump to end DACA, Augustine feels reluctant to be as public as he once was.

But he remains committed to working within the immigrant rights movement and supporting undocumented people. He currently attends City College of San Francisco and hopes to one day become an immigration attorney.

“I’m trying to make an impact in a meaningful way,” he said. “I want to be a voice for others.”

Augustine and Sandy feel that they, and countless others brought here as children, are just as deserving of basic human rights as any other American, and they’re prepared to fight for them.

“I think it comes from not having anything to lose,” Sandy said. “Resisting is our way of living with all these systems that continue criminalizing us and trying to push us out.”

And for that, Sandy’s father is grateful.

“This country is really great, and all of us immigrants cooperate to make it great … There should be more sons and daughters that fight for all of us immigrants.”

“I had a lot of hope that me and my family would be able to legally stay in this country,” said Sandy’s father, who, like many parents felt the sting when another Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, also known as DAPA, was recently revoked by the Trump administration. The program, which never went into effect, intended to offer a three-year renewable work permit and exemption from deportation for undocumented parents whose children are either permanent residents or citizens of the U.S.

“My parents are very fearful of the work that I do. But also, they know that it’s needed. Someone has to do the work to make sure that things like this don’t happen,” Sandy said.

This article was written by Alexis Terrazas and Destiny Arroyo as part of a collaboration between El Tecolote, San Francisco’s Latino bilingual newspaper serving the Bay Area since 1970, and Feet in 2 Worlds, an award-winning news site and journalism training organization based at The New School in New York. Special thanks to New America Media.]]>
Deadly Gang War Gave Birth to Hit Fil-Am TV Show in Alaskatag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.163922017-07-24T22:03:20Z2017-07-26T15:27:07Z
Anthony Advincula
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Barely three years after Nez Danguilan first arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1991, a 14-year-old Filipino teenager was killed in a ruthless gang war here, involving young Mexican and Asian gang members.

As a small ethnic community, with an estimated 5,000 Filipinos working mostly at canneries and military bases at the time, Danguilan recalls that most Alaskans were largely unfamiliar with Filipinos.

“That deadly gang incident did not help, either,” he said. “Filipinos were depicted, particularly in the media, as a liability.”

Awash with negative stories about the Filipino community, Danguilan says it was a turning point for him and fellow Filipinos to get rid of the stigma and show Filipino talents and their contributions to Alaska.

“We thought, ‘It’s time for us to focus on the positive side of our community,’” he said. “And coming up with a Filipino program on television was the best thing we could think of.”

A big hit

Then, in 1994, Danguilan contacted GCI Channel 44, a public television station in Anchorage, to air a half-hour program, “Fil-Am Showtime,” featuring hardworking and successful Filipino Americans — a Filipino student who earned a prestigious scholarship, a Filipino American teacher in a public school system, a basketball team of Filipino Americans and a Filipino working for a state government agency.

The show was a big hit.

Soon, his show became a regular television program, highlighting weekly stories about Filipinos in Alaska and around the world. A few years later, the show was extended to an hour-long segment aired on four other local television channels across the state.

“It served as a medium of communication for Filipinos to know what’s happening in their own backyard and the homeland they had left behind,” said Danguilan, who is a retired civilian personnel for the U.S. Department of Defense. “It definitely informed Alaskans about the Filipino community.”

Deep roots in Alaska

Filipinos have deep roots in Alaska, contrary to common impressions that they are recent immigrants in the state. In 1788, records show that the first Filipinos came to Alaska as crew on American whaling ships, as sorters for gold mines, and as salmon cannery workers known as Alaskeros.

Census data show that there are now about 20,000 Filipinos who call America’s Last Frontier a home. A majority of these Filipino families live in Anchorage, the state’s most populous city.

With a more than 50-percent population increase since 1990, Filipinos represent the largest Asian American subgroup in Alaska. By 2025, reports say, one in four people in Alaska will be Filipino.

Recognition from Anchorage Mayor

Acknowledging the significant contributions of Filipinos, in 2014, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan honored Danguilan with a Community Achievement Award for “Fil-Am Showtime” as the longest-running community television program in the entire state of Alaska.

“It was not just a recognition for my efforts,” Danguilan added, “but for the achievements of the whole Filipino community.”

At 78, facing the physical challenges of maintaining a full television weekly segment, Danguilan retired from hosting the show the same year he received the award. He had passed the opportunity to young Filipino Americans in recent years, but the show had run into some financial gridlock.

Continuing support from Fil-Ams

But members of the Filipino American community here continue to see the role of the “Fil-Am Showtime” as an integral part of Alaska.

“[It] was valuable because ‘Fil-Am Showtime’ gave a voice to the Filipino community, showcasing individuals and programs to the Filipinos as well as to the rest of Anchorage,” Lourdes Crawford, a Filipino American teacher who has lived in Alaska for more than 30 years.

One of the benefits to Alaska of sharing Filipino culture through the show, she added, is that it allowed Alaskans to see how important the Filipino community is to the state in many areas: education; industry; and civic engagement.

“It was also a clearing house for employment opportunities and events,” Crawford said. “There were travel segments on the Philippines showcasing what the country has to offer.”

Still, Danguilan plans to revive the “Fil-Am Showtime.” He said that he’s now “talking with several people in the community who are interested in running the show.”

If there is one thing that he misses in his daily life, he adds, it is undoubtedly hosting the show.

“Through the years, I’d always end the segment with these words, ‘Magmahalan tayo sa tuwi-tuwina (Let’s love each other always),’’ he said. “I hope to do that again soon.”

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Proposed White House Order Would Track Undocumented Residents Via Censustag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.161082017-03-14T22:10:00Z2017-03-14T22:39:35Z
Staff
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A draft executive order currently under consideration by the White House would – for the first time – mandate census workers to ask respondents about their immigration status.

The mandate is embedded in a section of the Jan. 23 proposed order: “Protecting American Jobs and Workers by Strengthening the Integrity of Foreign Worker Visa Programs.” India-West previously reported on the draft order, which aims to reform H-1B, L-1, and OPT programs.

The proposed order mandates that the Census Bureau, in collaboration with the State Department, Commerce Department, Labor Department and Homeland Security, publish a report each year illustrating immigration patterns, and the size of the foreign-born population in the U.S. The report must also include the fiscal impact of foreign temporary workers on wages and employment of U.S-born workers.

The order explicitly states that the census questionnaire must include questions on immigration status and whether the respondent is a U.S. citizen.

The Brennan Center for Justice notes that the proposed order has “fueled concerns among advocates about an undercount if the nation’s immigrant communities – fearful that the information may be used against them or family members – decide not to participate in the census.”

The impact of an undercount could be especially ominous for fast-growing states like Texas and California, which house large numbers of undocumented immigrants, noted the Brennan Center, adding that an undercount could result in inadequate federal resources to those states, and disproportionate representation in Congress.

“By crossing a long understood line about the professional independence and integrity of the Bureau, President Trump would interfere with collection of an accurate Census count in 2020 and impair public trust, local economies, and fair redistricting,” noted the Brennan Center.

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La Opinion: Mexico at a Crossroadstag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.160802017-02-27T19:45:15Z2017-02-27T19:51:51Z
Staff
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President Donald Trump’s policies aimed at deporting millions of undocumented people put Mexico in a complicated junction regarding Central American immigrants.

North-bound migration coming from Central America is one of the contentious points that stood out during the last meeting between Mexico and U.S. authorities. It is a cause for dispute and disagreement between Los Pinos and the White House.

The discrepancy is based on the Trump Administration’s unheard of, unilateral decision to deport people who are not Mexican citizens, mostly Central Americans, to Mexico.

The proposed agreement is for Mexico to accept that controlling Central American immigration to the north is a “shared responsibility” between them and the United States.

This scenario fits into the definition offered by Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray at the meeting, stating that Mexico is currently a “transit” country, not an exporter of migrants. This is a politically-motivated mistake.

It is true that there has been a reduction in Mexican migration due to a number of factors ranging from demographics to the economic and political climate in the U.S. However, the government of Peña-Nieto is trying to use this to hide the fact that poverty and lack of opportunity are the reasons behind the outmigration.

At the same time, the “transit country” definition allows Mexico to further adjust their Frontera Sur (“South Border”) Program, which has already deported hundreds of thousands of Central Americans. The restriction is carried out in the name of the U.S., but is acts in Mexico’s own interest.

Many Central American immigrants are choosing to stay in Mexico in light of the difficulties the U.S. represents at the moment. In the absence of the “American Dream,” a “Mexican Dream” sounds better than the reality of Central America.

The challenge for the Mexican government is to remain coherent. It must grant Central American undocumented people the same rights and treatment it demands from the U.S. Meanwhile, Mexicans should not discriminate or mistreat these immigrants.

The “United States of Trump” is a merciless threat against undocumented people. Mexico is obligated to be different, to avoid falling in the trap of hypocrisy.

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La Opinion: Another Hard Blow for Immigrantstag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.160792017-02-21T08:05:00Z2017-02-27T19:53:18Z
Staff
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The implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration will be a hard blow for undocumented people. It is said that it will be aimed at dangerous people, but guidelines show that the network is designed to catch many more people.

The guidelines established by the Department of Homeland Security limit access to immigration court, criminalize parents who pay to a smuggler to bring their child over to the U.S., and restore the 287(g) program that turns law enforcement into immigration agents, among other measures.

For practical deportation purposes, someone who has been convicted of a crime is the same as someone who is accused of a crime but whose case is still pending, or someone who has committed acts that constitute a crime for which he or she may be accused.

The situation will be similar if an immigration agent does not like a particular undocumented person. The agent only needs to believe that the individual may one day become a threat to public safety.

The accuracy of the agent’s judgment will never be questioned, as the purpose of the guidelines is to free them of “binds” created by the Obama government that allegedly prevented them from doing their job.

The power granted to immigration officers is the big problem here. The guidelines trust the opinion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, even after numerous cases of abuse against immigrants have been reported.

In the recent raids, 25 percent of the people detained by ICE were not on a list of individuals to be arrested.

The rules promote the incorrect idea that undocumented people are a general threat to public safety. The establishment of an office dedicated specifically to the victims of the crimes committed by those immigrants seeks to perpetuate this image.

Surely there are dangerous undocumented criminals who deserve to be deported. But the guidelines go beyond a minority of individuals. Their inappropriate contents and an even worse implementation are a threat to millions of honest workers and their families.

The rules endanger the security they claim to be seeking by scaring a sector of the population who will now be reluctant to report crimes for fear of being deported. They will also harm the economy, as some much-needed job positions will not be filled. Undocumented people and the United States are the ones being harmed.

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State Senate Leader Kevin de Leon Acts to Protect Californians in Trump Eratag:newamericamedia.org,2017://19.160302017-02-06T22:03:02Z2017-02-07T00:41:45Z
Christina Oriel
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Since the election of President Donald Trump, California has been leading a movement to counter his administration’s various policies from immigration to health care.

One of the progressive individuals on the forefront of this is state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, a Democrat of Mexican descent who represents parts of Los Angeles, including Historic Filipinotown, East Hollywood, Eagle Rock and Highland Park.

In an interview with the Asian Journal, de León made it clear that the state is not “looking for a fight with Donald Trump.”

“But we will do everything in our power to protect our economic prosperity, the values and the people in California,” the state senator said on Thursday, February 2 at his district office in Los Angeles. “There are numerous frontal assaults against the people of California in the areas of climate change, environmental protections, workers’ rights, women’s rights, immigrant rights and the threat of separating families…and health care.”

Repealing the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), he said, would “devastate many Filipinos in the health care industry.”

In December of last year, de León introduced SB 54 (the California Values Act) to prevent the use of state and local public resources to aid federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in deportation proceedings. The bill creates “safe zones” — public schools and universities, hospitals, and courthouses — that prohibit the presence of immigration enforcement.

“It’s un-American to separate children from their mothers and mothers from their children,” he said. “That’s not who we are as a nation and as a state.”

Further, the legislation bans state and local law enforcement from cooperating and collaborating with ICE agents in the detention and deportation of immigrants.

“To use local tax dollars that we supply the police department to serve the community and have them abandon their neighborhoods to go help ICE agents go raid a workplace or factory or stake out an elementary school waiting for a mother to pick her child at the curbside, that’s not making our communities safer,” de León said, adding that the federal government has the responsibility to carry out federal immigration laws, but shouldn’t use local resources and tax dollars to do so.

On Tuesday, January 31, SB 54 passed the Public Safety Committee — just days after Trump signed a series of executive orders on immigration, including one that calls for defunding “sanctuary jurisdictions” that do not cooperate with federal officials in removing and detaining undocumented immigrants.

“It is my hope that Donald Trump and his administration will find value in what we do in California…,” he said. “If you tear things down and decimate programs, you’ll just be hurting the people of California and the economy of the United States.”

Though the Filipino-American community has not been single out as much as other communities have by the divisive, anti-immigrant rhetoric, de León noted how it’s important more than ever to have a support system and to be civically involved, whether by participating in demonstrations, communicating with elected officials, and voting. By coming together and being inclusive, it adheres “to the higher ideals and values of what it means to be an American,” he said.

“Filipino Americans are my neighbors, my friends and they’re Californians,” he said. “As their senator, it is my role to do everything in my power to protect Filipino Americans, whether they’re legal, U.S. citizens, or undocumented.”

“I know that the Fil-Am community has a very wonderful representative in the state, [Assemblymember] Rob Bonta. I’m sure he’s the community’s No.1, but I’ll be the Filipino’s No. 2.”

De León’s ‘Filipino story’

In addition to his current political work in the midst of the Trump administration, de León is proud to have spearheaded the campaign to raise the minimum wage in California to $15 an hour — making it the largest rate in the country.

De León also opened up to the Asian Journal about his special experience with Filipinos that continues to resonate with him. Though he hardly shares this story, it’s one that he will “forever cherish in [his] heart” and gets to the root of why he has been proud to serve many Filipinos in Los Angeles for the past decade.

Growing up in San Diego — which boasts one of the largest Filipino populations in Southern California aside from Los Angeles — de León saw his mother working alongside a lot of Filipino immigrants when she was a housekeeper and later on when she was a licensed vocational nurse and certified nursing assistant at convalescent homes.

“They had a really had a big influence on my mother, and therefore, on me,” he said.

But the firsthand testament to Filipino hospitality and warmth came when his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“If it wasn’t for the Filipino community, it would have been difficult for us to eat because my mother was too weak, she was too sick. Her Filipino sisters would always bring chicken adobo, pancit, lumpia, rice and they kept us fed,” de León recounted. “At times, they took care of us…I’ve always had a very special place in my heart for Filipinos because in the darkest, most painful time with my mom — eventually she passed away — it was the Filipinos…who really stepped up and helped us.”

He added, “California has always been an amazing, beautiful tapestry of different ethnicities from all over the world. I’ve been blessed and very honored to have Historic Filipinotown in my district. I’ve learned so much from my Filipino brothers and sisters: the strong family values, strong religious values, hard work ethic — just like my mother — and wanting their children to succeed and have all the opportunities possible.”]]>
Filipina Anchor Elaine Quijano, First Asian-American Debate Moderator Gets High Marks for VP Matchtag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.156902016-10-05T05:25:00Z2016-10-05T07:11:42ZSAN FRANCISCO, California - Many in the Twittersphere are giving Elaine Quijano an 'A'. The Filipino-American veteran journalist made history as the first Asian-American, first digital anchor and youngest moderator in decades, of a national debate. Twitter users are commending...
Odette Keeley
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=61Quijano is a New York-based, Chicago native, the lead weekday anchor for CBSN [an internet TV news channel], she also anchors "CBS Weekend News" on Sundays and contributes across the network's platforms. Prior to that, Quijano spent ten years covering politics for CNN Newsource and CNN.

Elaine's CBS colleagues anchoring the network's post-debate coverage, Scott Pelley and Bob Schieffer gave glowing marks for Quijano, with Schieffer saying: "She did a magnificent job. I've been there, done that, it's not as easy as it looks."

A sampling of some early tweets and Facebook posts from many in the Filipino-American community showed great pride for her historic role, and how she moderated this Oct. 4 debate, especially as the diaspora is celebrating October as Filipino-American History Month. Praise also came from mainstream media and the entertainment world:

Hari Kondabolu An Asian American Woman telling two old white dudes when to talk..I LOVE IT. #VPDebate

CBS News's story right after the debate declared Quijano, one of its digital news anchors as "the early winner" of the VP match-up, highlighting admiration from many Twitter users including:

Dan Rather Moderator @Elaine_Quijano does well by pointing out @GovPenceIN didn't answer the question about @realDonaldTrump and taxes

The story also included some criticism, citing that "there were some who claimed Quijano let the two men talk over each other and her too."

HowardKurtz Elaine Quijano is losing control, plain and simple. The men just keep talking over each other

Media Matters meanwhile zeroed in on her question on the national debt in their piece: "Debate Moderator Elaine Quijano Falsely Equates The Impact Of Trump And Clinton’s Economic Plans On The National Debt." The web-based, progressive research and information center explains that Quijano presented a false equivalency when she said during the October 4 vice presidential debate that the economic plans of both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “would add even more” to “the growing $19 trillion national debt” and asked whether such debt increases “could be disastrous for the country.

Several Filipino-American and Philippine media have extensively covered Quijano's historic role in moderating the US vice-presidential debate for several weeks leading to the broadcast, including:

]]>
Protests in Death of L.A. Teen Continue, Community Seeks Answerstag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.156852016-10-03T18:31:49Z2016-10-03T18:34:20Z
Ebony
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103
A southern Los Angeles neighborhood saw heated protests for the second night in a row Sunday over the shooting death of an African-American man at the hands of police.

Demonstrators blocked an intersection Sunday night near the home of Carnell Snell Jr., who was shot dead by cops on Saturday. Protesters carried signs that read “jail killer cops.” One car was seen spinning donuts in the street and graffiti was found spray painted on some storefronts. Police said the crowd dwindled later into the night as cops equipped with riot gear moved in, according to the L.A. Times.

Other small protests took place in the same area on the previous night at the residence of Mayor Eric Garcetti. In a statement, Garcetti urged everyone to wait for “the completion of a thorough and proper investigation.”

Activists called on the LAPD to name the officers involved in the shooting death of Snell, 18. He was killed Saturday after a chase in which officers tried to pull over a car with paper license plates. The passenger of the car ran away to the back of a house, where he was shot. The driver got away. Police said they recovered a gun at the scene, but it is unclear if Snell was the one carrying it.

Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/news-views/carnell-snell-lapd#ixzz4M33mhmBC ]]>
SCAM ALERT: Indian Callers Pose as Federal Officials Offering $9,000 U.S. Government Grantstag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.156582016-09-23T19:30:53Z2016-09-23T21:30:11Z
Sunita Sohrabji
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103Pictured above: Federal Trade Commission Regional Director Thomas Dahdouh was interviewed by reporters at a New America Media briefing earlier this year. Dahdouh told India-West in response to a recent "government grants" scam that the calls are being made from telemarketing boiler rooms in India. Photo by Odette Keeley / New America Media.

SAN FRANCISCO – In the latest take on a scheme that has been going on for more than 30 years, scammers from India posing as officials from the U.S. Government Grants Department are offering grants to U.S. residents of $9,000 or more, once the recipient has purchased an Apple I-Tunes gift card and given the code to the caller.

Thomas Dahdouh, San Francisco-based regional director of the Federal Trade Commission, confirmed to India-West that such calls are a scam originating in India. “There is a continual issue of imposter scams originating in India,” he said, noting that the agents were calling from telemarketing boiler rooms in the country.

The FTC has been working with the State Department and Indian authorities to curb the prevalence of the fraud, said Dahdouh, noting that several cases have been prosecuted when the payment processor is based in the U.S.

India-West became aware of this scheme when a caller, posing as a representative of the Grants Department, called a staff member’s cell phone number and offered her a “no strings attached” grant of $9,000. “The government is giving you this money because you have a good record, no criminal record, no bankruptcies and you have filed your taxes,” said the agent, who identified himself as Mark Smith, despite having a heavy Indian accent.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Smith, adding: “Don’t ever think this is a fraud. It is 100 percent guaranteed.”

The call came in from a Washington, D.C.-based area code: (202) 642-1029. Chillingly, Smith correctly identified the staff member’s social security number and asked her to confirm it.

The agent then asked the staff member to purchase an I-Tunes gift card with a value of $250, and then to call him afterwards and give him the 16-digit code. Then, the money would be available – in cash – at a nearby Walmart or Western Union within 25 minutes, Smith said, adding that the $250 gift card cost – which he called a “registration fee” – would also be refunded at that point.

When the staff member did not purchase the card and did not call back, the agent repeatedly called 11 times in 24 hours to ask why. When expressing doubts about a scam, the agent first gave a Washington, D.C. address: 200 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20201. Googling the address turned up the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Better Business Bureau has issued a statement noting that scammers posing as the “Federal Bureau of Grants Department” have used this address to lend authenticity to their fraudulent scheme.

“Consumers report being approached with information that they have been awarded a grant. The address location used by the promoter is that of a genuine federal agency, but this promotion and its contacts are misrepresenting themselves as having an affiliation with the US Government and are not located at the Independence Avenue address in Washington, DC,” noted the BBB, adding that many consumers have been approached to give out their bank account information for awarding of the grant, often resulting in losses of thousands of dollars.

“A genuine grant would provide notice that can be verified and would not be asking recipients for payments,” noted the BBB.

On the ninth call, Smith directed the India-West staff member to www.obama.net, which details various grants the government purportedly offers. “See, we are legitimate,” he stated.

“Any time someone is trying to get money involved in such a transaction – credit card, debit card, money order – it is likely suspicious,” he stated, adding: “You never need to pay anyone to get a government grant.”

Dahdouh advised consumers who have been defrauded by this scheme to contact the retailer and Apple, which may provide a refund if the card has not yet been processed.

Agents can now obtain entire social security numbers in a variety of ways, added Dahdouh. “One way is if a hacker got your personal financial information somehow. Another way is if you applied online for something thinking something was legitimate but it was not,” he said, encouraging consumers to check free credit reports if they believe their information has been compromised.

Apple issued a policy statement to retailers Sept. 21, noting it was limiting the maximum amount of an I-Tunes card to $500. The company has also created signage for retailers, stating: “For use on iTunes and App Store only. Not valid for other payments;” and “Do not share with anyone you do not know.” It had advised stores selling the product to train its employees to spot potential victims of fraud.

More information about the government grants scam and similar fraudulent activity is available at ftc.gov.]]>
Fil-Ams Sound Off on Trump’s Immigration Speechtag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.156022016-09-07T06:30:00Z2016-09-06T20:14:34ZPhoto: @realdonaldtrumpBuild a wall. Curb undocumented immigration. End sanctuary cities. Implement an extreme vetting process.In his anticipated immigration speech in Phoenix, Ariz. on Wednesday night, August 31, these were some of the policies Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said would...
Christina Oriel
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103
Photo: @realdonaldtrump

In his anticipated immigration speech in Phoenix, Ariz. on Wednesday night, August 31, these were some of the policies Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said would help “take our country back.”

“When politicians talk about immigration reform, they usually mean the following: amnesty, open borders, and lower wages,” Trump said. “Immigration reform should mean something else entirely: it should mean improvements to our laws and policies to make life better for American citizens.”

The issue of immigration — particularly undocumented immigration, which Trump said is “one of the greatest challenges” the country faces — has been a bedrock of the real estate billionaire’s campaign. In announcing his candidacy last year, he mentioned that Mexican immigrants were “rapists” and “bringing drugs” into the United States.

Following the attack in San Bernardino, California in December, Trump proposed banning Muslims from entering the country until lawmakers “can figure out what is going on.”

Last month, he even received backlash from many Filipino-Americans when he suggested curbing immigration from “terrorist nations,” including the Philippines. He cited the case of a Philippine citizen living in California who was convicted of plotting to join Al Qaeda.

Prior to his speech, Trump went to Mexico earlier that day to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto, a conversation he said was “thoughtful and substantive.”

The Republican candidate said he and the Mexican president did not discuss the latter’s government footing the bill for the border separating the U.S. and Mexico. However, during his remarks, Trump suggested otherwise.

“We will build a great wall along the southern border. And Mexico will pay for the wall. One hundred percent,” he said. “They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for it.”

Among other policies he proposed in his hour-long remarks included: end catch-and-release; “zero tolerance for criminal aliens”; “cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all immigration laws”; suspend issuance of visas without proper screening; and making sure countries take back deported individuals.

Though reports leading up to the long-awaited speech speculated that he would backtrack from his hard-line immigration stance in an attempt to garner broader appeal, he reiterated that those without papers would be deported.

“Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation. That is what it means to have laws and to have a country,” he said.

He went on to add that under his administration, a pathway to legal status would be impossible for undocumented immigrants because “those days are over.”

The only solution, he said, would be for them to return to their home countries.

“For those here illegally today, who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only. To return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else, under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outlined above,” he said.

For some Fil-Am Republicans, Trump’s speech supported their beliefs that potential immigrants should wait in line to enter the U.S.

Consuelo Almonte, founder and president of the Philippine Community Center Services for Aging in New York, applauded Trump’s speech and said he “expresses the failures of this administration.”

“I am with Trump for zero tolerance for illegal aliens that [are] flooding our schools, our hospitals [and] social welfare. It is a burden for the citizens and taxpayers,” she said. “Furthermore, there should be extreme vetting for those who want to stay here.? Those who desire to stay here should assimilate and respect our laws and accept our norm of life.? Otherwise, why would anyone wants to live in a place where they despise the way of life? Simple as that.”

Emmanuel Tipon, an 83-year-old immigration lawyer from Hawaii, said the core of the immigration debate is the “well-being of the American people.”

“Filipinos waiting for visa availability should be taken care of first before letting others in. Immigration policy should be based on national interest [and] what is good for America,” Tipon said on Thursday, Sept. 1.

Lisa Noeth, a Fil-Am small business owner and grassroots Republican Party volunteer in Las Vegas, told the Asian Journal that “there is a misconception about Mr. Trump’s tough stance on immigration.”

“Illegal immigration in the United States should not be taken lightly, because if you are entering the United States illegally, it is a criminal act. Here is an example of why illegal immigration must be halted under Mr. Trump’s administration,” she said. “I’ve heard stories countless Filipinos, who’ve applied for their visas to come to the United States. Unfortunately, the immigration process takes them 10-15 years to have their visas approved to legally [come to] the United States.”

Shirlene Ostrov — a Fil-Am retired Air Force colonel who is running under the Republican ticket in the race for Hawaii’s 1st congressional district — said Trump’s policies show “his concern for safety” and are “good attempts to restore law and order” in the country.

“As the daughter of immigrants, I do believe in a vibrant immigration system that is enforced properly and takes into account the safety and security of American citizens,” Ostrov told the Asian Journal.

However, she noted that she disagrees with “the notion of ideological certifications,” a screening test that Trump said would ensure the U.S. was bringing in people who “share our values and love our people.” Earlier in August, the Republican nominee proposed the vetting system, alleging that the U.S. government does not know exactly who is coming in.

On the other hand, the campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said it was Trump’s “darkest speech yet.”

“Donald Trump once again showed us that he will continue his decades-long record of divisiveness and campaign of hate by pledging to forcibly remove every single undocumented immigrant from our country,” the campaign said.

Similarly, Clinton supporters echoed the campaign’s reactions.

Meriam Reynosa, a member of Filipino Americans for Hillary, said, “If Trump were elected, he really would create a barbaric state of America because all of us would continuously have to look over our shoulders. Undocumented people would have to live in fear of being deported every day.”

“As the first Filipino American in the California Legislature and the son of an immigrant, I am disgusted by how casually Trump speaks about deporting millions of people, including Filipinos. He has demonstrated a willful ignorance about America’s history and our values, and is simply unfit to serve as president of our United States of America,” Assemblymember Rob Bonta told the Asian Journal in a statement. “The only candidate with the vision to lead and a plan for comprehensive immigration reform is Secretary Clinton.”

Aries Dela Cruz, president of the Filipino American Democratic Club of New York, said listening to the speech “seemed like a nightmare.”

“In that America, Filipino immigrants like me and my family are not welcome. The Filipino community will not be fooled by Trump’s hostility against our families and his desire to round us up. It’s clear now that he is not the leader of a party or a campaign, but a hate movement. That’s why we will be out in full force in November to vote for Hillary, and why we are working every day to make sure our community’s vote and voice will be a decisive one,” he told the Asian Journal in an email.

]]>
Foreign Entrepreneurs Can Get 'Start-Up' Visas to Start Business in UStag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.155972016-09-03T11:00:00Z2016-09-02T21:29:06ZAbove photo: Venk Shukla, president of the Silicon Valley chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (India-West file photo)Acting on a 2014 mandate issued by President Barack Obama, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Aug. 26 a new proposal that would allow...
Sunita Sohrabji
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103Above photo: Venk Shukla, president of the Silicon Valley chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (India-West file photo)

Acting on a 2014 mandate issued by President Barack Obama, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Aug. 26 a new proposal that would allow foreign entrepreneurs to be considered for a two-year stay in the U.S. to start or scale up a business.

The proposal, known as the Immigrant Entrepreneur rule and informally dubbed a “startup visa,” though it is actually not a visa, is aimed at entrepreneurs from abroad who own at least 15 percent of a startup – founded within the past three years before the entrepreneur applies for the provisions of the rule – that has demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation. Applicants to the program must have a central role in founding the company or its operations, and must have received at least $345,000 from U.S. investors or at least $100,000 from qualified government agencies.

The waiver can be renewed after two years, for an additional three years, with a maximum cap of five years.

“This is an amazing move, which will foster U.S. competitiveness globally,” Venk Shukla, president of The Indus Entrepreneurs’ Silicon Valley chapter, told India-West. “There is no place in the world that is as friendly to innovation and the foreign born as the U.S. But I am personally aware of a lot of people who have gone back to India to start up companies,” he added, noting that Indian American entrepreneurs have created billions in wealth and more than half a million jobs.

“This is a win-win for everyone,” said Shukla, noting that the proposal, which does not need Congressional approval, nevertheless has bi-partisan support.

TiE has been lobbying for such a measure for several years, he told India-West, noting that Indian entrepreneurs are likely to be the largest beneficiaries of the new proposal.

Various reports indicate that 25 percent of the nation’s startups and more than half of Silicon Valley startups were founded by immigrants. Indian immigrants are one of the most successful groups of entrepreneurs, and have founded almost a quarter of Silicon Valley’s start-ups.

“America’s economy has long benefitted from the contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs, from Main Street to Silicon Valley,” said USCIS director León Rodríguez in an Aug. 26 press statement.

“This proposed rule, when finalized, will help our economy grow by expanding immigration options for foreign entrepreneurs who meet certain criteria for creating jobs, attracting investment and generating revenue in the U.S.,” he said.

Kalpana Peddibhotla, founding partner of MPLG, a Newark, Calif., law firm that specializes in immigration, told India-West: “Current visa options have a tendency to stifle entrepreneurship.”

Entrepreneurs holding an H-1B skilled temporary work visa must prove they are employees of a company. Therefore, founders of a company must show that their work is controlled by an external board that is in control of the company and can terminate the founder if necessary.

Moreover, founders must pay themselves a prevailing wage to keep their H-1B status, which is inconsistent with patterns of businesses in startup mode that often operate on shoestring budgets, explained Peddibhotla, who co-chairs the South Asian Bar Association’s immigration panel.

“I have spoken to Stanford graduates who have been through startup incubator programs, having to give up control of their company so that they can remain in the U.S.,” she said. “This has a chilling effect on entrepreneurship.”

San Francisco, Calif., angel investor MR Rangaswami also lauded the proposal as an avenue to increase entrepreneurship. Asked if the limited immigration status of a founder or key employee might deter investors, Rangaswami told India-West: “As an angel investor, I take a huge risk anyway.”

“This would be an additional risk factor that would be worth taking on a talented founder,” he said.

The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register. The public now has 45 days – which began Aug. 25 – to comment on the proposal before it is implemented.]]>
Killed Pakistani-American Soldier's Dad Scolds Trump for Dissing Muslimstag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.154972016-07-30T00:06:47Z2016-07-30T00:51:47ZIn one of the most-powerful speeches of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Pakistani American Khizr Khan, the father of U.S. Army officer Humayun Khan who was killed in Iraq, took to the stage July 28 in Philadelphia, Penn., to lambast...
Sunita Sohrabji
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103“Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims,” said Khan, a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia. “He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He loves to build walls and ban us from this country,” said Khan, as the packed hall cheered him on during the prime-time speech, delivered minutes before Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took the stage to accept her party’s nomination.

In a video before Khan’s speech, Clinton said: “If you want to see the best of America, you need look no further than Army Captain Humayun Khan.”

Clinton narrated Humayun Khan’s childhood of immigrating to the U.S., as a young child, and graduating from the University of Virginia before enlisting in the U.S. Army. At the university, Khan served with the ROTC and had planned to go to law school after finishing military service. He graduated with a degree in psychology, and served as a counselor to U.S. soldiers on the battlefields in Iraq, according to The Washington Post.

Khan quickly moved up the ranks to captain, and was assigned to lead an infantry unit in Iraq. On June 8, 2004, as the unit was guarding a base, a suspicious car appeared. Khan told his unit to get to safety, but he took 10 steps towards the suspicious automobile before it exploded, said Clinton in the video.

“Captain Khan was killed but his unit was saved by his courageous act,” said the Democratic presidential nominee, noting that Khan was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, two of the U.S. military’s highest honors.

Khan was 27 when he was killed.

At his convention speech, Khan eviscerated Trump, amidst cheers from the large audience. “Donald Trump, you are ousting Americans,” he said, apparently referencing the candidate’s oft-made proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the country, and more carefully scrutinizing Muslim Americans who live in the U.S.

In an extremely powerful moment, Khan pulled out a pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution and said: “Donald Trump, you are asking America to trust you with the future, let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution?” “I will gladly lend you my copy,” said Khan – who described his family as “patriotic Muslim Americans” – as the convention hall erupted in cheers.

“Look for the word liberty and equal protection of law,” Khan told Trump, exhorting him to visit the graves at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, where his son is buried.

“Look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities.”

“You have sacrificed nothing,” said Khan, stating his support for Clinton before he and his wife left the stage amidst a standing ovation.

Earlier that evening, retired U.S. General John Allen spoke onstage, surrounded by several members of the military, including Saif Khan, an Indian American Iraq War veteran who serves as a volunteer on Clinton’s National Veterans & Military Families Steering Committee; and Army Major Kamal Kalsi, one of the first Sikh Americans granted the right to serve in the military with his turban and beard intact.

“I'm joined by my fellow generals and admirals and with these magnificent young veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Allen. “They went there, they risked their lives because they love this country. And they are here before you because this most consequential election is the greatest one in our memory for the president of the United States. The stakes are enormous.”

“We must not and we could not stand on the sidelines. This election can carry us to a future of unity and hope, or to a dark place of discord and fear. We must choose hope,” said Allen, extolling a vision that included every race, religion, gender and sexual identity.]]>
NJ Latino Delegates Highlight Progressive Agendatag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.154952016-07-28T21:10:00Z2016-08-01T20:44:57Z
Reporte Hispano
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103And although some of them were elected as delegates for former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, they did not hesitate to turn their support to Hillary Clinton.

“My motivation for supporting Hillary this time is more about my fear of a Donald Trump presidency than anything else,” notes Analilia Mejia, a New Jersey delegate for Bernie Sanders.

Mejia, as well as New Jersey Hispanic delegate Craig Garcia, said it was due to the Sanders' team efforts that the Democratic Party had approved a more progressive platform that would greatly help working families.

Among other measures, “The increase in the minimum wage is now included, as is equal pay for men and women, better work conditions, support for immigrants regardless of their religion, and support for working families,” Mejia said.

During the first two days of the convention, some Sanders supporters protested because they considered the selection process to be rigged in favor of Clinton. But Hispanic delegates who spoke with Reporte Hispano said they hoped that in the end Democrats would unite in support of the presidential nominee.

“When we look at the proposals by Trump and by Bernie, there is just not a valid comparison. Bernie supports the worker, better work conditions, a focus on social justice. But Trump has a divisive discourse; he is against minorities and workers,” Garcia said.

Both delegates say they would have preferred Clinton to select a member of a minority community as vice president, to boost the vote by those communities. However, they stressed that the issues, not the candidate's ethnicity, will move Latinos to vote.

Nevertheless, they said, it was important to make sure more Hispanics were visible in key positions.

“As a community, we should increase our power at local, municipal and state levels. That's where people are elected to Congress or the Senate from," Mejia said. "The more organized we get, the faster we can grow politically.”

Even so, Garcia pointed out, the most important issues for the community cannot be solved by only one candidate. The continuing participation of the community is required at all levels to accomplish changes, he said. ]]>
UNIDOS App Encourages Latino Millenials to Votetag:newamericamedia.org,2016://19.154602016-07-19T22:45:00Z2016-07-20T00:28:14ZThe launch of UNIDOS, a mobile app that features news, videos and emojis, aims to increase voter participation of what is potentailly one of the most influential segments of Latino voters: Millenials.The goal of the app is to get the...
By Pilar Marrero, Translated by Elena Shore
]]>http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103
The launch of UNIDOS, a mobile app that features news, videos and emojis, aims to increase voter participation of what is potentailly one of the most influential segments of Latino voters: Millenials.

The goal of the app is to get the attention of young people between 18 and 34 years old by providing them with information and convincing them of the importance of getting involved, explained John Rudolph, professor and founder of Feet in 2 Worlds, a journalism project that has promoted the work of immigrant journalists since 2004.

“We know the process is intimidating, especially for new voters,” said Rudolph. “These young people don’t get information from traditional media; everything comes to them through their phones.”

Rudolph is the creator of the project, which is also supported by ImpreMedia, publisher of La Opinión, and the national organization Mi Familia Vota, which is dedicated to promoting citizenship and voter registration.

Millenials are already the largest generation in the country, and Latino millenials, both immigrants and U.S.-born, make up almost half (44 percent) of all eligible Latino voters this year, according to the Pew Research Center.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that Latino millenials tend to vote at lower rates than other young people. For example, in 2012, only 37.7 percent of Latino millenials voted, while 53.9 percent of all millenials went to the polls.

Why such little interest in the country’s political and electoral activity?

Marián Cuestas, a 24-year-old Colombian immigrant, got involved in the UNIDOS project because she understands her generation’s potential, but she knows there are a lot of obstacles.

“I’ve been polling my classmates and friends and I realized that they aren’t involved in politics because they aren’t well informed. They don’t understand the process; they don’t know the options,” said Cuestas. “They haven’t figured out how they can get involved or how doing that can help change society.”

The young woman adds that the situation these young people find themselves in, living between two cultures, may cause them to lack a sense of belonging and apathy when it comes to the American electoral system. “I think this app is going to help us create a community, have communication of Latinos with Latinos, share our questions and have reliable sources of information,” she said.

The app can be downloaded to phones from iTunes and contains a variety of resources, including a set of emojis specially designed to share the message in an entertaining way.

Emojis, for example, invite young people to participate and register to vote, and include quotes from historical figures like Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr., and messages from well-known internet personalities.

It uses images and language popular with young people that can be shared on social media to disseminate information, videos made by young people themselves, and calls to download and continue sharing the app.

It also includes links to news about the elections in English and Spanish, as well as videos and information about how to vote, register to vote, voter guides, etc.

Felipe Guzmán, a political science student at Cal State Northridge, proposed sharing UNIDOS through young “ambassadors” at colleges and universities.

“That’s how you disseminate information to young people, from one young person to another,” said Guzmán. “That’s how I learned about Airbnb and Uber, etc. It makes sense that our generation, which uses technology for everything in life, also uses it to help ourselves and motivate others to learn to exercise their power.”

Mi Familia Vota, a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to help mobilize Latinos politically and civically, is also collaborating on the project.

“Millenials are a group of potential voters that has grown since 2008, but the way to reach them is different, since they live on their phones,” said Benitez.

However, Mi Familia Vota is also using some of its longtime tactics to communicate with this generation of young Latinos, such as working with school districts to do educational work and voter registration in high schools.

“We’ve had great results doing that,” said Benitez. “But the most effective thing is peer-to-peer, youth-to-youth communication, since they don’t like authority and there’s a certain rejection of the government and political system.”

A rejection that UNIDOS hopes it will be able to overcome by communicating with young people in the way they are most comfortable with.